LASD sued for allegedly suppressing details about helicopter fleet
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is being sued by a pair of local groups who allege that the department has refused to disclose basic records on their helicopter fleet.
Both "Stop LAPD Spying Coalition," a grassroots community group, and the UCLA Carceral Ecologies Lab announced the lawsuit on Friday.
"Black communities have long experienced police helicopters menacing us from the sky and surveilling all our movements," said Matyos Kidane, with Stop LAPD Spying Coalition. "From a young age, I've been unable to sleep at night as LAPD helicopters loudly prowl overhead."
In July of 2022, both groups filed records requests with LASD and Los Angeles Police Department to seek basic details about both departments' helicopter fleets. They were seeking information on tail numbers, budget documentation and staffing overviews, according to a statement.
"After a response on behalf of Sheriff Villanueva stated in August that they had identified records and would complete review in 60 days, the Department has refused to disclose any records and has stopped responding to communications about the request," the statement said.
"We're told that this service of aerial surveillance is in the name of public safety," said Nicholas Shapiro, an Assistant Professor of Biology and Society at UCLA. "What we need this data for is to assess if that supposed public safety service is actually causing racialized harm."
Community members have often complained about the constant presence of helicopters in the area, which they believe is affecting their way of life.
"I understand you're patrolling the area, that's fine. But, you don't have to do it at a low stance so it is a problem in the neighborhood," said Bianca Gordon, a Compton resident.
Stories like this are a large part of why the groups decided to look into LASD and LAPD helicopter fleets in the first place, as they've had a notably negative impact on people's livelihoods in recent years.
"Sleep disturbance can negatively impact mental health, physical health, workplace performance and education attainment," Shapiro said. "We're really trying to understand how helicopters are interrupting, Black, Latinx and indigenous dreaming."
Preliminary findings of their studies show that low enforcement helicopters are disproportionately surveilling and disturbing sleep in Black neighborhoods, where they claim helicopters fly lower.
While many residents are irritated by the constant presence of the low-flying helicopters in their neighborhoods, just as many are happy with the feeling of security they get.
"I feel safer when I hear the sound than when I don't hear it," said Herman Lloyd, who lives in Compton. "They can see more things in the sky than we can down here. So I feel, with the Sheriff's helicopter flying around, I feel more secure. It doesn't bother me."
Thus far, LASD has not responded to a request for comment.
